A Call to Worship

Matthew 4:10, Jesus says, "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only."
Worship:
to honor
the object of adoration
to be devoted to
the condition of being worthy
a submission of any created being
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/worship

Worship comes from the word worth. Everything in our lives contains a certain amount of worth we give to it. Something we spend a great deal of time engaging, thinking about, or talking about is given a great amount of worth in our eyes. This is a type of worship. The basis definition of worship is devotion. What have you devoted yourself to in your life?
When God becomes our personal Savior we are called to worship him—devote ourselves to Him. He asks us to spend time with him; this alone is a form of worship. Worship by devotion. By worshiping God we must humble ourselves and show God and the world that we place Him above ourselves. Pride will fight you the whole way telling you that you can do this on your own. But the truth is, nothing is done without God.
He longs to build a close personal relationship with you, but in order to do that he needs you to spend time with him—devote ourselves to him. So when you claim to know God, contemplate how much time you truly spend with him. Determine where he falls in your life. Do you put him first and spend time with him? …worship him by sacrificing things of this world for him? He calls us to do just that. He tells us to be set apart from this world. Only a close relationship with God will truly set you apart. So when you find that the time you spend with God is outweighed by time spent in the “pleasures” of this world…stop and take some time to worship your Creator, your father, and your God.
John 4:23 says, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."
Worship is not just raising your hands, jumping around, or singing in church. Worship is a state of mind, heart, and spirit. You can worship God by simply following his word or honoring his will. Worship is something you can do every moment of everyday by setting your heart and thoughts on your Savior.
"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deut. 6:5)

Through Every Trial

God has called every person to be his follower. To love him, praise him, honor him, receive him, and share him with the ones around us. And there comes a time in everyone’s walk when the journey gets tough.
I know the feeling you get when you first receive Christ. You feel like nothing can touch you…like you could take on an entire nation and never fall. But we have to be realistic and realize what it means to be a true Christian. Being a Christian is like stamping a target for the enemy on your forehead. When you are lost in sin the Devil is not interested in pursuing you. He has no need to fight for what he has already won. But when God fills you and you begin to change from the inside out the enemy is threatened. He attacks you in everyway he knows how, cutting us down, and feeding off our weaknesses. God never told us that we would not endure trials. But he did promise us that by remaining faithful through these trials we would gain much through him.
James 1:2-4 “My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need.”
God tells us here through James that we will receive patience and “everything we need” when we remain faithful through the trials set before us. So when you feel like giving in to the temptations the Devil has set before you, remember to use this time to draw closer to God. Surrender to him fully and allow him to lead you.

Trials can be a way to grow in your relationship with your Abba (father). When you feel like the Devil is tempting you, simply stop and seek God’s face. Scripture tells us that light and darkness cannot dwell within the same space, therefore, if you seek God and he fills you the Devil cannot. So when you feel your about to give in to something from your old life, or you feel guilt or depression, take that time to bow your head and tell God how much you love him and how you so desperately need him within that moment--and every moment.
Hebrews 10:32 “Don’t ever forget those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering.”
God tells us here to simply remain faithful through your suffering. Remember the feeling you had when he first saved you. That feeling that you could take on a nation and remain standing…God will take care of you, simply rely on Him.

Sometimes Letting Go Makes Us Stronger

Matthew 26:39 "After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed. "My father, if it is possible, do not give me this cup" of suffering. But do what you want, not what i want."
Let this be and example to all of us. Even Jesus had things he didn't want to do, but unlike most of us, he left it in God's capiable hands.
Most of us, me included, think that we can do things by ourselves. And most of us walk only where we have carefully crafted a safety net. Therefore if we fall, we always have something to fall back on. But this is not what God wants from us. It's not what he's asked from us. In this scripture Jesus falls on his knees asking his God not to give him "this cup." A lot of us do the same thing when we want, or am trying to avoid something so badly.
But God tells us several times throughout the bible to remian patient.
"Be glad for all God is planning for you, Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful." Romans 12:12
Sometimes we cling to things we feel comfortable with. But God asks us to abandon what we know and walk in faith. To leave our safty nets and to rely on Him for all we need. We get so caught up in the things we want and the outcomes we despratly try to minipulate into reality, that we don't take the time to think about God's will. He asks for all of us when we come to him. He asks us to humble ourselves and even abandon all we know for the trust we can find in him.
The Lord is our provider. He tells us that he will gives the things we need if we simply live in abandon and walk with faith. But i am well aware that abandon seems like anything but simple. But the rewards we will achive when we take that step will be unimaginable.
God knows what he is doing, even if we are obilvious to his plans. So if you live in faith and seek to become closer to God, he will give you everything that you need.
"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
He will craft a future for you that you cant even imagine. All you have to do is trust in him and live by faith.
"Watch and be astonished at what I will do! For i am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't belive even if someone told you about it." Habakkuk 1:5